Kindle my heart
by Caitlyn-4479
Summary: Dagger gets ill and Zidane must find the only cure… but this cure is hard to find and he’ll need the help of all his friends to find the cure… or else its bad news for Dagger… ZxD Complete!
1. Diagnosis

Haha, wow, I never thought I'd post this story up! This is a story I wrote quite a while ago… I don't think it's all that, but it was the first story I wrote and finished, so I thought I'd post it up and see what everyone else thinks. Well, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final fantasy IX. I also do not own "A little princess", or the song kindle my heart.

**Kindle My Heart**

**As the moon kindles the night,**

**As the wind kindles the fire,**

**As the rain fills every ocean,**

**And the sun, the earth…**

**Your heart will kindle my heart…**

**Take my heart…**

**Take my heart…**

**Kindle it with your heart…**

**And my heart…**

**Cannot be…**

**Kindled without you…**

**With your heart,**

**Kindle my heart…**

Chapter One: Diagnosis

It hadn't been very long since Zidane returned from his escape at the Lifa Tree. Since he reunited with the ones he held dear, and the one person he loved.

Early morning, deep inside the castle of Alexandria, slept Zidane peacefully. Usually, Dagger would be sleeping too, right by his side.

Dagger was up already, and wasn't looking too healthy. She only just got up, and just left the bathroom, heading back towards her bedroom.

She entered the room where Zidane was still sleeping. She lay back down deep under the blankets, but she couldn't get to sleep, and was moving around a lot.

Because of this, Zidane began to open his eyes.

"D-Dagger?" Zidane said sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

Dagger sat up in bed and faced him. "Zidane…"

When Zidane could see clearly, he could see that something wasn't right. "What's wrong, Dagger?"

"Zidane… I don't feel very well…"

She sat there, looking at him in pain. And he couldn't stand to see her like this. Especially not when he just woke up!

"I… I don't know what's wrong with me, but… I just don't feel well this morning…"

"Is it a tummy ache? Maybe you ate something that didn't agree with you…"

"No, it's not any ache or pain… it's just… it's like a fever but… a lot worse."

Zidane sat up and wrapped his arms around her.

"It'll be okay… just hang in there, and we'll go see Doctor Tot about this. Okay?"

"Okay…" Dagger said. She whimpered a little and hugged Zidane back.

"Hmm…" Doctor Tot said as he examined his Queen.

Zidane, Steiner and Beatrix were all gathered in the infirmary while the Doctor looked at Dagger. He was looking quite unsure at times, looking down at his medical books and "hmm"ing a lot.

"Well? What's wrong with her?" Zidane asked, getting rather impatient.

"I believe Garnet has a rare disease."

"Disease!? What kind of disease?" Zidane asked worriedly.

"It's a rare condition where the symptoms include fever, like you mentioned Garnet. But that is only stage one."

"Stage one?" Beatrix thought out loud.

"This is the type of disease that gets worse as the weeks go by. Stage two is when Garnet will find it hard to move her body at all…"

"No! Your majesty! I'm so sorry!" Steiner sobbed, feeling it was his fault for his Queen's illness.

"Dagger…" Zidane said. Dagger reached out for his hand and grabbed it.

"Stage three is where she will begin to find it hard to breathe and move…" Doctor Tot continued.

"Oh no…" Beatrix said.

"(Sob) your majesty! (Sob) How could this have happened!?" Steiner cried even further.

"And stage four is… well, the end of the battle."

Everyone in the room went silent and shocked.

"It's… its fatal?" Dagger shivered.

"There's gotta be a cure!!" Zidane yelled, now getting a bit scared.

"Now Zidane, calm down… there is a cure." Doctor Tot reassured. "But… it will not be easy to get…"

"Whatever it takes, we'll find the cure! Just tell us where is it!!" Zidane said, getting panicky.

"The cure is an herbal medicine made from 3 plant ingredients. Unfortunately, these plants are very rare and found in hard to reach places…"

"I don't care! I'll find them and bring them back here! We won't let this disease get that far!!" Zidane shouted.

"I sware my life that I will aid in finding these plants, and spare the Queen's life!!" Steiner vowed.

"Your highness, we all promise to find that plants and cure you of this terrible disease…" Beatrix swore.

"Thank you… all of you…" Dagger managed to say.

"Where are these plants?" Zidane asked eagerly.

"Each one is in a different location." Doctor Tot said, picking up a book and flipping the pages. "There's a passage here about each plant…"

"To whom who may need the aid of this herb,

The Chikalo leaf which sits on its branch,

Lies off near the north-west in a small and dark place,

Where a forest would lie, and a cave would hence."

"The Chikalo leaf, huh?" Zidane said.

"Yes… this is the first ingredient needed for the herb."

"North-west… That would be near the lost continent, would it not?" Beatrix asked. "The one covered in snow."

"Yes, but not many forests are on the lost continent…" Steiner added.

"Maybe it isn't in a forest… maybe it's near a forest…" Zidane thought.

"Even so… there's no cave on the lost continent." Beatrix added.

"Could it mean the Volcano?" Steiner questioned.

"I don't know…" Zidane said.

"Nonetheless, you all should leave immediately… the disease won't wait for you." Doctor Tot said.

"We should get the others to help too. The more people there are the more chance we'll have of finding the plant." Zidane suggested.

Eiko, Vivi, Amarant, Freya and Frately had joined the party. They all met in Alexandria, so they could see Dagger. They were all in the Queen's chamber.

"What tragedy… a fatal disease…" Freya was saying.

"How did this happen!? Did someone pass it on to you??" Eiko asked frantically.

"It is something that just happens, Eiko. We can't change a thing about it." Doctor Tot said.

"Well it's a stupid disease!!" Eiko carried on.

"I cook frog for everyone. Cheer you up!" Quina suggested.

Zidane sighed. "No thanks, Quina. Not now…"

"I hope we can find the plant…" Vivi said.

"So… we're going to look for a little plant just for a medicine…?" Amarant asked.

"It's not JUST a medicine, Amarant! It's the medicine that will keep Dagger alive!!" Eiko yelled.

"When will we be leaving on our quest?" Frately asked.

"First thing tomorrow morning. Thanks for coming, everyone." Zidane added. "It means a lot for all of you to help…"

Dagger sat next to Zidane, not saying a thing. She could hardly come to terms with the current situation.

"I think it's time to rest now…" Doctor Tot suggested to break the silence. "I'll see you all in the morning."

"I'll go to bed too. We wanna wake up nice and early so we can go plant hunting!" Eiko said and ran off.

"I-I'm gonna go too…" Vivi said and walked after her.

"I think it's time we all went to bed." Freya said.

So Freya, Frately, Quina, Amarant, Steiner and Beatrix went to their rooms. Zidane was left alone with Dagger.

"We'd better go to bed too, Dagger…" Zidane said.

"Zidane…" Dagger said, in a very low voice.

"… I'm really scared…"

"Dagger… it'll be okay… we'll get you the medicine before you could say stage two!"

"… I'm scared that… if you don't find the plant… on time… or even not at all…"

"Dagger, don't talk like that!" Zidane wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "You'll be fine…"

"How do you know? The plant may not even exist anymore if it's so rare! And then there's no hope… and… and…."

Dagger began to cry into Zidane's chest. Zidane didn't know what to say. He just held her close, comforting her, in hope that it would help.

When the crying began to stop, Dagger rubbed her eyes and sniffed.

"Come on… we'll sleep on it…" Zidane said. He picked Dagger up and carried her off to bed.

That's all for Chappie one! I hope you liked it! Chappie 2 is coming soon! Please R&R )


	2. The search begins

This is chappie 2! I hope you like it. Remember, I wrote this quite a while ago! I hope I've improved since then P

--

Chapter Two: The Search begins

In the morning everyone went outside near the airship Regent Cid had lent them to borrow on their quest. It was Cid's latest model, the Hilda Garde 5. It was a chilly morning, and there was fog around the area, so everyone was ready to go.

"Dagger, Doctor Tot will take good care of you until we get back…" Zidane reassured her. "And we'll be back with that plant real soon…"

"Zidane… I don't want you to go… I want you to stay here… please…" Dagger sobbed.

Zidane grabbed her hands. "Dagger… I won't be far from you… and besides, I'll be right here in your heart while I'm away…" Zidane said, pointing his hand to her chest, where her heart would be.

"And I'll write to you every day. Make sure those moogles don't run late on delivery!" Zidane said, making Dagger smile a little.

"If you ever feel alone, just sing our song. And I'll be singing it too… I promise. And I promise you I won't return without those plants… besides, when we find the first plant, we need to come back for the next passage, anyway."

"Zidane… I'll miss you so much…" Dagger said. The two hugged each other tight. "I'll miss you too… I love you so much, Dagger…" Zidane said.

"I love you too…" Dagger struggled to say, as she was trying to fight her tears.

They broke the hug and kissed goodbye, then Zidane went onto the airship where the others were waiting. Everyone waved Dagger goodbye as the airship flew off into the North-west part of the world.

Dagger and Doctor Tot stood there until the ship was out of sight.

"Come now, Garnet. The chilly weather won't be good for your illness…" Doctor Tot mentioned, so they went back into the castle.

Soon the Hilda Garde 5 was hovering above the lost continent. They landed on a grassy patch, near Esto Gaza and got out.

"I-It's so f-f-f-freezing!!" Eiko complained when they all got out.

"That's cause it's snowing you little dweeb." Amarant snorted.

"Excuse me!? What did you just call me!?" Eiko yelled.

"Guys, we gotta find that plant!" Zidane said with an angry tone. "The sooner we have that leaf the better."

"Sorry Zidane, we'll start searching!" Eiko called.

"Where should we look?" Beatrix asked everyone.

"'Near a forest and a cave…'" Zidane said to himself.

"I suggest we go near the volcano, there might be a cave nearby." Frately said.

"We must hurry!!" Steiner said. Everyone began to walk towards the big volcano, or the fire shrine.

When they got near it, there wasn't a forest nearby. Not to mention there was no grass either.

"I don't think there'd be a plant around here…" Vivi said.

"We find no tasties here!" Quina added.

"I guess we should keep looking…" Zidane said.

"Hey!! I just got an idea!! What if we all split up! We'll find the plant MUCH faster!!" Eiko yelled over the group.

"Not a bad idea, Eiko." Freya said. "Shall we split into groups?"

"I'll go on my own. I'm not getting paired up like the last time…" Amarant said.

"No one should be left on their own; you never know what monsters could be lurking all over the place." Zidane warned.

"Then how about we split into groups of 3? Then there'd be 3 different groups." Beatrix suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Now we just need to decide what groups…" Zidane said.

"How about you, me and Vivi, Zidane?" Eiko asked.

"Sounds like a group. What about you guys?"

"Beatrix and I can go with Quina." Steiner suggested.

"Are you sure about that, rusty?" Zidane asked.

"Most certain!"

"Then are you alright with your group, Amarant?" Zidane asked sarcastically.

"At least I'm not with the brat…"

"Hey! Don't you dare call me-"

"Hey, guys!" Zidane yelled.

"Garnet, you'll have to stay in bed." Doctor Tot told the sick queen.

"But I have my duties to do, Doctor Tot…"

"You are in no shape to rule a country. Consider the nest few weeks' days off for you."

"What will happen though? Who will go to all the meetings? Who will order the knights? What will happen if-"

"Garnet, everything is under control. Stress will only make your condition worse. Please try to relax…"

"… Okay, Doctor Tot…"

"Guys, we've already looked there!!" Eiko yelled at Zidane and Vivi.

"How do you know? This whole stupid continent looks the same!!" Zidane said, getting rather frustrated now.

"There's no cave on the lost continent… I wonder if Doctor Tot read the passage wrong?" Vivi pondered.

"I don't think so… maybe it's just not on the mist continent…" Zidane said, lowering his voice.

"Well, where else would it be!? There's no other island around here!!" Eiko yelled.

"Hey, what's over there?" Vivi asked the others, beginning to walk towards a slope.

"What's over where?" Eiko asked, following Vivi.

"Guys, we need to stay together!" Zidane called after them.

"But Zidane, there might be something… AHHH!!" Vivi yelled. The slope was actually a cliff!

"Vivi!" Eiko yelled.

"Eiko, don't go over the—"

"AHHH!!" Eiko cried.

"…cliff…" Zidane said to himself in utter disappointment. He walked over to the cliff and looked over the edge.

"Are you guys alright??" Zidane asked.

"Yeah… but I think we're stuck down here…" Vivi said.

"Jump down, Zidane! We gotta stay together!" Eiko called.

"What good will that do? There's nothing down there…"

"Well how are we gonna get out!?" Eiko asked.

"I dunno, maybe we should find the others…" Zidane thought.

"Zidane, you keep looking for the plant! We'll be fine here!" Vivi assured.

"I can't abandon you guys here!"

"You gotta find the plant for Dagger! If anyone can, you can!" Eiko yelled up to him.

"… But…"

"We'll be fine! Just go!" Vivi yelled.

"Okay, but I'll be back real soon for you, plant or no plant!" Zidane called, and he ran off to try and find it.

"We're getting nowhere slowly…" Amarant complained, following the 2 Burmecian residents.

"We'll find the plant, it is rare you know." Freya said.

"I've never heard of or seen the Chikalo plant in all my travels…" Frately exclaimed.

"Well maybe cause there's no such thing as a chika whatever plant…" Amarant complained.

"Doctor Tot would not lie about this, and he is very wise. I'm sure we'll find the plant if we keep looking!" Freya said.

"Well we're gonna be out here for a long time…"

"There no plant or tasties in place…" Quina sooked to the Alexandrian couple.

"Do not lose hope!! We will find the plant at any cost!" Steiner pledged.

"We've been almost everywhere… where could the plant be?" Beatrix asked.

"I say we look near the volcano!" Steiner said once again.

"We've looked there, Steiner…" Beatrix sighed.

"Where water is, plants grow!" Quina exclaimed.

"Hm… you know, you may just be right! Let's go look near the shore!" Steiner called as he headed towards the nearest beach.

From Kupo to Mosh,

Kupo, what's going on in the castle?

I heard a rumour that Queen Garnet is sick!

I hope she gets better, Kupo…

Stiltzken is going away again, Kupo.

Do you think Stiltzken will come back this time?

I wonder if Queen Garnet will ever get better, Kupo…

Well there you have it! Chappie 3 is coming soon!


	3. Searching alone

Chapter Three: Searching alone

"Where could that stupid plant be?" Zidane questioned himself. "If it's no where on the lost continent, where could it be?"

Zidane continued to walk until he came to the shore on the opposite side from where they landed. He looked out to the water in deep thought.

"Or maybe it's a plant that grows underwater…?" He asked himself, looking down at the sea lapping near his feet.

Suddenly Zidane heard a sound from the distance. It was a "Kweh!!" type of sound. And Zidane knew that sound.

Zidane looked down and noticed the chocobo tracks. "Aha…" he thought to himself, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a gysahl green.

Suddenly the "Kweh!" got louder, and Choco came running up to Zidane, immediately eating the gysahl.

"You can help me find it, Choco!" Zidane said. When Choco finished eating, he hopped on and Choco began to run.

Choco went into a forest. "Maybe if we fly up high, we can see more of the island! And we can also see if Eiko and Vivi are okay." Zidane said. Choco then flew up from the forest.

"This is so boring… Zidane better hurry!" Eiko complained.

"I hope he finds the plant. I wonder where it could be…?" Vivi said.

"Well, it's nowhere around here. I mean, we don't even know what it looks like!"

"Doctor Tot said to look for an abnormal looking plant. But everything around here looks normal."

"There's hardly any forest or grass here, what makes him think a rare plant would be here?"

"Well, maybe it only grows in cold places…"

"Say Vivi, how are your sons going?"

"Oh, they're good. They love it in the black mage village."

"I heard the forest was starting to die even more…"

"Yeah… I don't know if the forest will last much longer if it doesn't rain soon…"

"How did you make new black mages, anyway?"

"Well…"

"We are seriously never gonna find this plant…" Amarant groaned.

"Amarant, would you please just stop complaining and help find the plant!?" Freya scolded.

"I'm starting to believe the plant is not on this island…" Frately said in a low-tone.

"Well then I wonder who'll take over the throne…" Amarant said.

"Don't talk like that! We'll find the plants and Dagger will be alright!" Freya shouted, continuing to search for the plant.

"(I wonder if Zidane would become king…?)" Amarant thought.

"There no plant or yummy-yummies!!" Quina yelled.

"I shall not fail my queen! We will find the plant even if it takes us all week of sleepless nights!" Steiner yelled, searching drastically for the plant.

"I doubt we'll be here that long… but I also doubt the plant is even here… how could it be? There's hardly any vegetation…"

"Nonsense, Beatrix! We're just not looking in the correct place!"

"I so hungry!!" Quina shouted.

"(This is terrible…)" Zidane thought. "(The plant is nowhere around here… but it says it's in the North-west part of Gaia…)"

Choco continued to fly over the continent.

"(We can't give up now… but where the hell could it be?)"

The sunset shone in Zidane's eyes. Soon it would be nightfall.

"Look's like we're staying in Esto Gaza tonight, hey Choco?"

"K-Kweh!" Choco chirped loudly.

"(If Doctor Tot came with us, he might've pointed us in the right direction. He knows all of Gaia. I suppose I do too, after flying with Choco for so long… hmm…)" Zidane thought, and then he looked up and smiled very widely.

"Choco, this way!" Zidane yelled, turning Choco in the opposite direction they were just going.

From Mosh to Monty

Kupo! Queen Garnet is ill! And the disease she has is fatal!

A search party has gone to look for the 3 rare ingredients needed for her medicine, but they haven't found them yet!! Kupo…

Zidane is also in the party. I'm sure he'll find it, if he found all us moogles to fix mognet central!


	4. Ding ding ding! Idea!

Chapter Four: Ding ding ding ding! Idea!

Zidane had a hunch. He knew where the plant might be. He flew Choco away from the lost continent.

"It must be the island where Chocobo's paradise is!!" Zidane said out loud. "There's a forest AND a cave there!!"

When they landed, Zidane jumped of and ran towards the entrance to Chocobo's paradise.

He knelt down and began to search the numerous plants that surrounded the area.

"_The Chikalo leaf is an abnormal looking plant. I believe it is a purple colour…"_

"Purple… purple…" Zidane murmured to himself as he looked around.

"Purple!" He knelt down again and saw a very abnormal looking plant, which had purple leaves.

"Bingo!" Zidane said and grabbed a handful of leaves. He put them with his potions and whatnot and hopped back on Choco. "Let's go tell the others!" Zidane said, very excitedly.

"Wow, I didn't know that was another way…" Eiko said.

"Yeah… Mr. 236 discovered it not long after Zidane left." Vivi exclaimed.

"Look, it's nearly nightfall! Zidane said he's come back!"

"Maybe he's still looking…"

"Well I hope he comes soon! It's getting colder and colder!"

"Do you think he's found it?"

"You think he's found a purple plant in the middle of this continent? Good luck!" Eiko said sarcastically.

"Eiko, we should hope for the best you know…Hope outweighs the thought of despair."

"Huh?"

"My grandpa told me that… he said that hope far outweighs the thought of despair, or losing hope…"

"_Hope outweigh thought of despair, Vivi. You think there no food? Don't lose hope and you may find food! Is bad to think otherwise."_

"Hmm… You know, your grandpa was very wise! We should keep hope!"

"I'm sure your grandpa was wise too…"

"Well, he did give a lot of advice."

From Monty to Mois

Have you heard the news from Alexandria, Kupo?

Queen Garnet is seriously ill.

Have you also heard that Artemicion might be quitting mognet? I wonder why, Kupo…

Has Mois ever been sick, Kupo? I have before, but that was just a bad cold, Kupo…

Sorry, this was a very short chapter! Chappie 5 coming!


	5. Guess what I found?

Chapter Five: Guess what I found?

Zidane and Choco were now heading towards the ditch where Eiko and Vivi were stuck.

"Eiko!! Vivi!! Up here!!"

"Look! It's Zidane!" Eiko yelled.

Zidane hovered closer to them. "Climb on up!" Zidane called, offering his hand.

"Eiko immediately took it and climbed up onto Choco. The Vivi hopped on, and Choco began to fly away.

"We gotta round up the others, too." Zidane said.

"Why?" Eiko asked.

"Trust me on this one."

Eiko and Vivi looked at each other, then at him. Then each of them thought "(Did he find it…?)"

"Look! Up there!" Beatrix called to the frustrated Steiner and the hungry Quina. "It's Zidane, Eiko and Vivi riding that Chocobo!"

"What are they doing!? They should be looking for the plant!" Steiner yelled, jumping up and down angrily.

"Guys!" Zidane yelled. "Head back to the ship! We'll meet you there soon!" And with that Choco flew off again.

"What does he mean? We haven't finished our search!" Steiner yelled.

"Maybe he mean it bed time!" Quina said running back where they landed. "Or dinner time!"

"Maybe we should call it a say, Steiner…" Beatrix sighed.

"Never! We must find the plant!"

"Zidane will be waiting for us near the ship. You don't want to keep him waiting, do you?"

"……"

"Let's go."

"Are we done looking for the dumb plant yet?" Amarant sulked.

"Just look for something purple, okay?" Freya said, aggravated by his attitude.

"… I know. Eiko's hair."

"She meant a purple plant, Amarant." Frately said.

"She didn't say that…" Amarant murmured.

"Guys! Up here!" Zidane yelled when he was directly above the 3. "Head back to the ship! We'll meet you there!" and Zidane flew off once again.

"… good, the search is finally over." Amarant said, beginning to walk off.

"What could Zidane mean by that?" Freya questioned.

"It is getting dark. There's no way we could find it with no light." Frately said. The couple followed Amarant.

When everyone was gathered around the ship, Zidane stepped forward.

"Did we come back because its night fall?" Beatrix asked.

"Not just that…" Zidane reached into his pocket.

"Look what I found!!" And he held up the purple Chikalo leaves.

"You found them!" Eiko yelled.

"I knew you could do it!" Vivi shouted.

"Hooray. Can we go home now?" Amarant asked.

"Well done, Zidane!" Steiner said.

"At last!" Freya exclaimed.

"Where did you find them?" Frately asked.

"They weren't on this continent, that's for sure!"

Everyone began to "Huh?" a lot.

"I found it on the small island where Chocobo's paradise is! The tiny little island not far from here!" Zidane explained.

"So we looked here for nothing…?" Amarant said.

"Come on, Amarant! Be glad we're going back to Alexandria with the first ingredient!" Zidane said.

"Yay! Let's go!" Eiko yelled.

Dagger sat in her room by the windowsill. She was waiting for the others to return. Doctor Tot then entered the room.

"Garnet, you should be in bed!" The Doctor exclaimed. "You need to rest."

"I know Doctor Tot, but I'm just waiting for the others…"

"They may not return for a few days, Garnet. The plant is extremely rare."

"Where will they stay, then? It's night time…"

"I'm sure they'll stay in Esto Gaza and continue search in the morning. Now please, Garnet… you need your sleep…"

"Okay, Doctor Tot." Dagger said and stood up, heading towards her bed.

When Doctor Tot left, she made sure he was gone, and then she sat back down by the windowsill.

"Zidane… please hurry…"

From Mois to Gumo,

Yo! Man, have you heard Queen Garnet is sick! That totally stinks.

Since I came to Quens Dwelling, I've been much warmer! The ice cavern was too cold for me.

Of course, I'm sure the queen will get better, 'cause she has a whole search party out there to find her medicine ingredients!


	6. Back again

Chapter Six: Back Again

Dagger continued to stare out the window. "Maybe I should go to bed…" she murmured, so she sat up and began to walk back. But then she heard a noise.

She looked out the window and she saw what she'd been longing for… the Hilda Garde 5!

"They're back!" Dagger yelled, and despite feeling lousy and weak, she ran all the way to where the ship was landing.

As soon as Zidane walked out of the ship he was shocked when Dagger jumped into his arms without warning, and he swung her around and put her feet on the ground.

"Zidane! You're back!" Dagger yelled happily and hugged him tight.

"Dagger! You should be sleeping!" Zidane said, hugging her back.

"I was waiting for you… Did you find it?"

"Find what?"

"Zidane!"

"Ha-ha, yes, I found the Chikalo leaf." Zidane reassured, pulling one of the leaves from his pocket and showing her.

"Was it on the lost continent?"

"No, actually, it was on a little island not far from it… it was hard to find, mind you!"

"Dagger! Are you feeling any better?" Eiko asked running up to the couple.

Dagger let go of Zidane and said "I've been better, Eiko… but I feel better now that you're all here."

"Zidane, I'm glad you could find the leaf." Doctor Tot said, walking to Zidane. Zidane handed him the leaves.

"This is the Chikalo leaf. Well done, everyone!" Doctor Tot congratulated.

"Actually, Zidane's the one who found the leaf." Vivi said.

"I suggest you all stay here the night and head off again tomorrow morning." Doctor Tot said. Everyone headed back inside the castle.

"Zidane, I need you to keep an eye on Garnet." Doctor was telling Zidane before he went to bed.

"If she starts sweating a lot, or tells you she's finding it hard to move, come get me immediately."

"I will, don't worry. You should get some sleep too, Doctor." Zidane said.

"Ah, I might be up for a while looking for the next passage. But don't worry; I'll be up bright and early for you all."

"Thanks, Doctor. I'll see you tomorrow." Zidane said "Goodnight". He began to head towards his room.

When Zidane opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind him, he noticed Dagger staring out the window, just standing there. He walked over next to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Zidane… I…" she started. "……"

"Dagger?"

"… I don't know if you'll find the plants in time…"

"Dagger, if we keep going at this rate, you'll be fine by the end of the week!"

"But it may be harder to find the plant… what if… what if they don't exist anymore? Then I have no hope…"

"Dagger, you shouldn't be thinking like that!"

"How can I not? I'm dying and everyone's acting like everything's gonna be fine but it's not!"

"And how do you know it's not gonna be okay?"

"I don't, but no one's taking into account that I'm so scared about it… everyone just says 'You'll be fine' but how can they say that!? What if I'm not fine! What will happen?"

"They're just trying to make you feel better. What do you want them to say, "Don't worry about it, you'll be dead by the end of the week."?"

"Zidane!"

"You know everyone cares a lot about you. They just don't want you to worry about it while you're sick. Worrying will only make it worse for you!"

"Then what am I supposed to do!? Pretend I'm perfectly fine and that everyone's just gone on a holiday!? I don't think so, Zidane!"

"Well, what do you want us to do!? We're trying our best to find the ingredients for you… we just want you to wait for us."

"How can I wait happily knowing I'm on the verge of death?"

"But you're not! You're not even on stage 2 yet!"

"And who knows when I will be!"

"Dagger, we just want what's best for you."

"I know, but it's so hard…" Dagger started to get teary eyes.

"Dagger…" Zidane said, as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She hugged him and cried into his chest.

"You know thinking like that won't help one bit. Come on, you'll feel better in the morning. You should've been asleep anyway…"

"Zidane…" Dagger managed to say through her tears, crying even harder.

"Shhh, come on, time to go to sleep." Dagger sniffed as he picked her up and took her to her bed. He lay her down and pulled the blankets over her. She wiped her eyes and looked up at him.

"But what if I'm not alright?"

"Dagger… you know I can't say you will be, but I'm sure we'll do the most we can to help you. And I'm sure we'll find the two ingredients and you'll be all better…"

He walked around to his side to the bed and hopped in. But he lay on his back with his hands behind his neck, looking up at the ceiling.

"Zidane…"

"Hm?"

"Have you ever been really ill?"

"Not really… but I know a story about someone who was sick…"

"Huh?"

"When I was younger we did a play in Lindblum about a dying man…"

"What was it about?"

"Is goes kinda like this…"

**Mary and her partner Luke lived in the quiet town of Dali. They worked at the farm, tending to it every day.**

**One day, Luke came home with a horrible headache. When he went to the town's doctor, they said he was seriously ill.**

**Back then, they didn't have the advanced medicines we have today. In fact, there were hardly any cures for illnesses like this one.**

**Luke could no longer work in the farm until he, if he ever did, got better. Mary had to work on her own in the farm.**

**The crops were getting eaten by oglops. Mary needed Luke to help him, but he was just too ill.**

**One afternoon when Mary came home, Luke looked even worse. He said;**

"**Mary… I don't think I'll survive for much longer…"**

**Not believing this, Mary set out to Lindblum, because she heard a famous doctor lived there.**

**When she finally arrived, she told the doctor of her partner's symptoms, and the doctor gave her a medicine that might've worked.**

**When she returned, Luke was worse still. He said;**

"**There's no hope for me. I'm gonna die…"**

**But still in disbelief, Mary gave him the medicine.**

"Did he get better?" Dagger asked.

"In a week or so Luke was able to work in the farms again. But this is what he said to Mary one day while working…"

"**If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here. You believed in me right from the second I became sick. Thank you."**

"So if Mary had believed his words, Luke would've died…"

"Exactly. And it's kinda like now… you think you're not gonna make it, but we all believe that you'll pull through."

"…Zidane…"

"Yeah?"

"… I think I might be okay now… I don't know for sure, but I think if all you guys believe in me, I'll make it…"

Zidane rolled over to face Dagger, whose eyes were shut. "That's good to know… goodnight, Dagger…"

"Goodnight, Zidane…" Dagger whispered.

From Gumo to Mooden

Queen Garnet is ill… I think her potion ingredients are hard to find.

Stiltzken came by yesterday. He said that Mosh at the castle told him Garnet's search party has returned. I wonder if they found the ingredients?

Kupo, is Artemicion really quitting mognet? Maybe he's afraid he'll take more superslick.


	7. Stage 2

Chapter Seven: Stage 2

In the morning, Eiko was the first to get up. In the guest room, everyone was still sleeping, but she of all people knew ho to wake them up…

"EVERYONE!! IT'S MORNING!! RISE AND SHINE!!" She yelled at the top of her voice. A series of groans could be heard from the sleeping group.

"Time to get up, guys!!" she shouted, jumping up and down on her bed.

"Stupid brat…" Amarant said under his breath.

"Excuse me!? I heard that, you know!"

From all the way in Zidane and Dagger's room, they could hear the commotion. The 2 moaned as well and rolled over to face each other.

"Well, now we know who to hire to get the knights of Pluto up every morning to train!" Zidane joked.

Dagger smiled a little. "Zidane… I think I feel a bit worse…"

"How come?"

"I can't… I mean, it's kinda hard to move…"

Zidane sat up and looked at her. "I-I'll get Doctor Tot!" He said and left straight away. Dagger sighed and sat up very slowly in her bed.

Zidane ran to where Doctor Tot was. He couldn't believe she was at stage 2 already!! He entered the room where Doctor Tot was studying his books.

"Ah. Good morning, Zidane!" Doctor Tot said. From next door, they could still hear Eiko waking everyone up. "Ho-ho-ho. I can hear she's as energetic as ever!"

"Doctor, Dagger's finding it hard to move now!!" Zidane said gasping for breathe.

Doctor Tot walked around the room. "I suspected this might happen… Maybe stage 3 will come by the end of the week…"

"What!? Doc, come see her!" Zidane said and ran back towards his room.

"Come on! We gotta find the next plant for Dagger!" Doctor Tot heard Eiko say in the next room. He sighed and began to walk towards the queen's bedroom.

"Zidane…" Dagger said as he came back into the room.

"Doctor Tot's coming, don't worry…" Zidane said. Dagger tried to get up, but she just didn't have the strength anymore.

"Zidane, is this stage 2?"

"We'll ask Doctor Tot…" Zidane said, not wanting to break the news to her.

Doctor Tot came walking in. He walked up to Dagger and said "Garnet, is it true you find it hard to move?"

"I'm afraid so, Doctor Tot…" Dagger said.

"Hmm… I'm afraid this might be stage 2…"

Dagger gasped and looked at Zidane, whose expression showed he already knew.

"Can you raise you arm for me, please?" Doctor Tot asked.

Dagger struggled, but managed to raise her left arm close to the top of her head.

"You can still move, thank goodness. Garnet, I'm afraid you'll have to stay in bed."

"Oh… but-"

"No buts, Garnet. You really need your rest now. Zidane, can you tell everyone to meet me in my office? I found the next passage last night."

"Sure thing, Doctor." Zidane said as Doctor Tot walked out.

"Zidane… if I have to stay in bed, how will I say goodbye to you? And next time you come back, how can I go see you? And-"

"I'll come to you, Dagger. I promise as soon as I come home next time, I'll run up here to see you. And you know I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye!"

"I'm gonna miss you… what if you're gone for longer this time?"

"I'll write."

"Zidane…"

"I'd better go get the others. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay…"

"I've gathered you all here to give you the next passage." Doctor Tot said. "The one is a bit more confusing, though…

"**A place where you observe,**

**A place where it's so cold,**

**A place where village people live,**

**A place where guards stand tall,**

**Around here mountains stand so high**

**And birds flock in the sky,**

**Go near here and you may find**

**The Hendrick Mushroom hide.**

"The Hendrick mushroom?" Steiner said.

"Is mushroom edible? I hungry!!" Quina complained.

"Will this one be as hard to find as the last stupid plant…" Amarant snorted.

"This mushroom is also quiet rare. But I do know that it used to be Cleyra's delicacy before it became too hard to find." Doctor Tot added.

"Really?" Freya and Frately asked at once.

"Really. That was many decades ago, though."

"Wait… is the mushroom near a place with all those things in it?" Zidane asked.

"Like I said, this one is puzzling. You'll need to work the clue out before heading out." Doctor Tot suggested.

"Why don't we work it out on our way there?" Eiko asked.

"On our way where, Eiko?" Zidane teased.

"Oh… um… well, we better hurry up and solve it! How hard can it be to find a mushroom?"

"Well how hard can it be to find the purple plant?" Zidane joked.

"Well, if it was Cleyra's delicacy, it must grow on the Mist continent." Freya said.

"What was the first line again?" Steiner asked.

"A place where you observe."

"You can observe at Lindblum castle, at the telescope." Zidane said.

"Yeah, but Lindblum isn't 'so cold', is it?" Eiko added.

"Now, now, everyone! Try and work together to work it out. We don't want to take too long." Doctor Tot said.

"That's why we should go now! If we're in the sky and looking around, we might see somewhere we wouldn't have thought of if we were here!" Eiko said, finally getting her point through.

"Let's just get this over and done with…" Amarant said, heading out the door.

"I'm gonna go say goodbye to Dagger. I'll meet you all at the airship!" Zidane said and ran off.

When he got back, Dagger was still sitting in the same spot, and she was nearly crying. She looked up and saw Zidane, and her face lit up.

"Zidane!" She said as he smiled and walked up to her. He hugged her and knelt down to her level.

"We're gonna go now. And I think this time we might be gone for a little longer…"

Dagger sighed, but then she smiled. "Just don't forget to write."

"Don't worry, I won't. I promise." Zidane said simply.

They kissed each other goodbye, never wanting to let go, but they both knew they had to. When the kiss broke, Zidane left the room, looking back at her before she left.

When he left, she frowned again, looking to her left out the window.

From Mooden to Mogki

Did you hear that Artemicion is quitting!? Why? Superslick isn't addictive, is it?

Queen Garnet is sick and her medicine is hard to make… Kupo, I wonder if they'd go to that much trouble if she was any ordinary person…

Kupo, if she doesn't survive, who will rule Alexandria?


	8. Confusing clues

Chapter Eight: Confusing Clues

"Somewhere where you observe…" Zidane said to himself, looking out over the edge of the ship as it zipped past, making everything blurry.

"Zidane, do you think it's near Lindblum?" Eiko asked, walking up to him.

"I don't know, Eiko… I don't think so…"

"Where else could you observe?"

"The observatory?" Zidane joked.

"Wait…" Steiner said running up, over hearing them. "The observatory mountain!! Where that old man works!"

"Used to…" Zidane said.

"Oh…" Steiner said sadly.

"Well now we know what that clue means! Now, The Mountain isn't cold, is it?"

"I wouldn't think so." Zidane said.

"Do guards stand around the Mountain?" Eiko asked.

"No." Steiner said.

"Do Village people live there?"

"No, but Dali is nearby. That's a village." Zidane added.

"Oh, this is so confusing…"

It had been several hours of pondering, wondering and utter frustration, and everyone still didn't know where to look for that mushroom. They finally decided to go to Dali to rest for the night, since they thought the mushroom was around that area.

Since Zidane returned, the mayor's brother had extended the Inn from 4 beds to 10 beds, which was convenient, because there were 9 people.

That night while everyone slept, Zidane wrote a letter to Dagger, and gave it to Gumo, so he could give it to Artemicion. Then he too, went to bed.

"(I wonder where they are right now…)" Dagger thought as she lay in her bed. She had been asleep, but woke up from a bad dream. It was 4 am and she couldn't get back to sleep.

Suddenly, from outside the window, a noise was heard by her. She slowly sat up and also noticed that the window was unlocked. She heard the sound again.

"Kupo!"

And then a purple stripy moogle came flying though the door.

"Letter for Dagger!" he said, holding up a letter.

"I didn't know you delivered this late at night…" Dagger said.

"Special request!" he said, and handed the letter to her. He flew back out the window and shut it before he flew away.

Dagger opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. She was really excited, and for the first time since the others left, had a smile on her face.

Dear Dagger,

I miss you already. How are you feeling? I'm fine, except things are going really slow here.

I didn't expect the passage about the second plant to be so confusing. We can't work it out.

But don't worry, we'll find it eventually. We just need to work together to figure out what it means.

I miss you so much. I hope we find that plant soon, 'cause I don't know if I can be away from you for much longer.

I hope you don't get any worse while we're away. If you do get any worse, I'd like to be there with you…

We're staying in Dali right now. In the morning we'll begin search.

We'll be back as soon as we can.

I love you so much Dagger, and I'll miss you every moment of the day while I'm gone. And I'll sing our song to keep me motivated.

Hope you get a good sleep.

Love always,

Zidane.

Dagger read the letter over and over again. Then she started to get teary eyes again. "I miss you too, Zidane…" she whispered softly as she shut her eyes to collect herself. When the tears stopped, she read the letter once more, then put it on her bedside table and slowly lay down to sleep.

And in a few minutes, she fell into a deep sleep.

From Mogki to Moonte

Does Moonte know anything about Artemicion, Kupo?

Mooden says he's quitting mognet…

Queen Garnet is getting worse, Kupo…

And her search party has left again.

I heard Artemicion had to deliver a letter at 4am this morning to the queen! It was from Zidane. He must miss her.

Kupo, have you ever fallen in love? I haven't, but I wonder what it's like…?


	9. Working together

So I continue to post up the chapters to this story. This story is really one of those things you think is good at the time, then you take a second look and go "Er…….."

Anyways, remember, I was 11 or 12 when I wrote this. Any con. crit. You decide to give me now will probably already be covered ^^ Anyways, enjoy this chappie =)

Chapter Nine: Working Together

In the morning, Eiko woke up first again but she didn't yell this time, she jumped on everyone's bed while they were sleeping.

"Wake up! Time to go!" She said, jumping from bed to bed. When she jumped onto Amarant's bed, Amarant lunged for her but she was too quick and jumped onto Zidane's bed. "Stupid brat…"

"Come on, Zidane! You should be the first up!" Eiko said.

Zidane moaned and said, "You know I like my sleep, Eiko…"

When everyone was finally up, they went outside with the little piece of paper that Doctor Tot gave them.

"Okay, we need to find somewhere you can observe, that's cold, that has village people, had guards, near a mountain and where lots of birds fly around…" Zidane said.

"They can't be all the one place!" Freya said. "What if they're all separate places? And that the mushroom is nearby those places…?"

"They'd have to be pretty close together…" Beatrix said.

"Well, we know that the first one is the observatory mountain…" Steiner said.

"A place where it's cold…" Vivi said. "Maybe it's the ice cavern?"

"Good going, Vivi!" Eiko said. "That must be it!"

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Zidane exclaimed.

"Somewhere with village people would be Dali." Frately said.

"Now, a place where they have guards…" Zidane thought.

"Geez, we're actually getting somewhere today." Amarant muttered.

"That's because we're working together! Yesterday no one would listen to one another!" Zidane explained.

"See how good it is to work together?" Eiko said. "Maybe you could try it sometime!"

"Psht. What would kids know." Amarant murmured.

"A lot, actually!!" Eiko yelled.

"A place with guards could be anywhere! It could be Alexandria, or Treno, or Lindblum…"

"It has to be nearby…" Zidane said.

"Nothing nearby except gates!" Quina added.

"… Wait a minute, the gates do have guards! They check your gate pass!" Zidane exclaimed.

"Well, now we know it's somewhere around here!" Beatrix said.

"But which mountain now? There are many of them surrounding us." Steiner reminded.

The group went silent. Vivi noticed there were a bunch of birds hovering around the tallest mountain. "What about that one?" he asked, pointing to it. "It has birds flying around it too."

"Hey, yeah! Go Vivi! Now we know where to look!! Let's go guys!!" Eiko began to run towards the mountain.

"Guys, are we just gonna climb it?" Zidane asked the group.

"I don't know if I can climb it…" Vivi said.

"Guys, it doesn't look that steep!!" Eiko yelled, when she realised no one was following her.

"She who couldn't even climb up the Lifa Tree on her own…" Amarant said.

"Hey! That was straight up! This is a slope! So let's go!!" Eiko said. Finally everyone started following her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dagger was still in her bed. She woke up and slowly sat up. She longed to get up and move around, but it was so hard for her. She pulled the covers off of her and put her legs on the ground.

"I can do this…" she whispered to herself. She slowly stood up. She nearly lost he balance, but she was now on her 2 feet.

She walked slowly out of her bedroom. "I'm walking!!" she said excitedly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Zidane, how come the top seems to be moving further away as we get closer?" Eiko complained, tired of climbing.

"Just your imagination, Eiko." Zidane said.

"We should stop for the night…" Freya suggested. "Everyone's getting tired…"

"Up here!" Eiko yelled, and she climbed up onto the ledge. There was a small cave there. It looked like it had been dug up by campers.

"Somewhere to rest!" Vivi said.

"This cave nice and warm during night!" Quina said.

"This will be perfect until morning!" Steiner exclaimed.

"This place stinks…" Amarant said, disgusted.

"I'm sure a bounty hunter like you could put up with it." Zidane told him.

"……" Amarant had nothing to say to that.

Zidane's stomach began to rumble. "I think I'm a bit hungry…"

"Zidane! I cook you succulent frog if you like!" Quina suggested.

"On Second thought, I'm not that hungry…" Zidane told him/her.

Soon it was night time, and nearly everyone was asleep. But Zidane wasn't. Despite it being a freezing night, Zidane went outside and sat on the ledge of the cliff, staring at the twin moons that shone so brightly and majestically.

"(I hope we find the mushroom tomorrow…)" Zidane thought. "(I'm so worried… will we get back before stage 3 hits poor Dagger?)"

Zidane stared out at the night sky, as the twin moons kindled the night with its glow.

"(I miss you, Dagger…)"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Moonte to Mogmi

Mogki says that Queen Garnet's illness is getting worse…

Mogki also says that Artemicion is quitting mognet.

I hope he doesn't, Kupo.

Does Mogmi know what it's like to be in love?

Queen Garnet is in love.

I've never been in love, Kupo…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	10. The Summit

Chapter Ten: The Summit

The next morning, shock horror, Eiko wasn't the first to wake up! It was actually Amarant, the person you'd least likely expect to be up first. He was standing outside of the cave.

Zidane woke up next, and saw him standing there. He went to see him.

"You're up early." Zidane said, walking up next to him.

"We should get up early if we want to find that mushroom…" he said.

"You've changed your tune." Zidane said.

"I happen to care about this."

Zidane turned to him. "Who are you, and what have you done with Amarant!?" He said, quite shocked he said something with the word "care" in it.

"… I think we should just find the plant and get back as soon as possible."

"How come one minute you can't stand searching, and the next you get up early just do to that?"

"…Because everyone cares about it… and about her… And I wanna help. Otherwise, what's the point of coming here?" and then he began to walk off.

Zidane stood there, very confused. "Why did you come in the first place, then?"

"To realise something needs to be fixed, you first have to start it." And he walked back into the cave.

"?" Zidane stood there all alone. "What does he mean by that?"

Inside the cave, people were starting to wake up. And of course, Eiko had woken up.

"Beatrix… it's time to get up." Steiner was saying to his partner. Since Zidane came back they'd been considered together, but things were going a bit slow.

Beatrix woke up and yawned. She stood up and stretched.

"The search continues today. We must persevere up the mountain and relieve the mushroom." Steiner said, rather formally.

"Steiner, you do not need to speak so formal. You can relax, you know."

"I-I'm sorry, I am just so used to it."

"We better start heading to the summit."

"Yes… the sooner we find the plant, the sooner our queen shall- I mean, will get better!"

"Well, let's go." Beatrix began to walk towards the entrance when Steiner said, "W-Wait a second…"

"What is it, Steiner?" Beatrix asked.

"Uh… Um…" Steiner stuttered.

"I-I would just like to say that…um… I would never want to lose you… and I always want to be with you…"

"Steiner…"

"And I'd just like to say that I am very thankful you are here with me… Thank you for not leaving…"

"Any time. Come, we must go. The others are beginning to leave."

"O-Okay! Let's go!"

Everyone continued to climb the mountain. They didn't realise it, but they were close to the summit.

"Are we there yet?" Eiko said. "I'm getting tired again…

"We only just started, you little brat." Amarant sighed

"We did not! And don't call me a brat, you big bully!" Eiko yelled.

"Guys!" Vivi shouted.

"Just calm down, I think we're nearly there." Zidane reassured, climbing a little faster. "(Hang in there, Dagger…)"

"Look! The summit!" Frately yelled, as he climbed over the ledge. The top of the mountain was quite flat, with bushes on the top. There were birds flocking all over the place.

"We made it!" Eiko yelled.

"We find yummy mushroom now?" Quina asked.

"Don't eat it if you find it, Quina. It's for Dagger." Zidane warned.

"Then I catch frog for you when we come home?"

"Uh… We'll see…" Zidane mumbled.

"Zidane! Come quick!" Eiko yelled. Everyone crowded around her and there, in the middle of a small bush, was a tiny little mushroom.

"Do you think that's one?" She asked.

"It better be." Zidane said, and plucked it out of its place.

"Yay! Just one to go!!" Vivi exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Soon Dagger will be fit enough to move again!" Freya said excitedly.

"When we find last herb, I make big feast to celebrate!" Quina said.

Everyone continued down the mountain. It was much easier to go down than to go up, they practically slid down!

When they got back into the ship, it was already late afternoon. They headed back to Alexandria.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Garnet, you'll have to wait until they return. I know it's hard, but I'm sure they'll find the mushroom in no time. You know Zidane; he'd do anything for you. Just try to relax and keep your strength up and you'll be fine until they come back." Doctor Tot exclaimed.

From Mogmi to Atla

Moonte says she's never been in love, Kupo.

My husband and I are looking after our children.

A nice lad brings Kupo Nuts to us often.

Kupo, Moonte also said that Queen Garnet is ill, and is getting worse…

I'm sure they'll find a cure, since she's royalty, Kupo…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	11. We're back again!

Chapter Eleven: We're Back Again!

The airship arrived outside Alexandria, but Zidane wasn't welcomed like the last time. Although, he understood why. However, Doctor Tot welcomed all of them.

"Welcome back, everyone. I trust you found the mushroom?" He asked.

"Yeah, and it was no walk in the park either!" Eiko yelled. "Oh, how's Dagger going?"

"Not too well, I'm afraid…" Doctor Tot said sadly. "I'm afraid she's… she's…"

"She's what!?" Zidane asked frantically.

"…She's on stage 3…"

The group stood there shocked.

"But you said it wouldn't do this until the end of the week!!" Zidane yelled.

"I also afraid that the disease is spreading through her body much quicker than usual… she's finding it hard to talk and breathe now…"

The 9 stood there silent. They didn't know what to say or do.

"Dagger…" Zidane said, and he ran into the castle to go see her.

"Who has the mushroom?" Doctor Tot asked to break the silence.

"I do." Eiko said, handing the small mushroom to him. "Will it be enough?"

"More than enough, Eiko. We only need a small amount of mushroom."

"Good…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Zidane slowly opened the door to his bedroom and peeped inside. Dagger was lying in her bed. It looked like she was asleep.

He walked up beside her bed. "Oh, Dagger…"

Dagger must've only shut her eyes, because she immediately opened them up and struggled to say "Z-Zidane…?"

She sat up very slow, with the aid of Zidane holding her back up.

"Dagger… I'm sorry we didn't come sooner."

Dagger went to open her mouth when Zidane put a finger up her lips.

"Don't speak. You have enough trouble breathing, I've heard."

Dagger nodded slowly, and she extremely slowly reached her hands out for him. He gave her a tight hug.

"It's okay Dagger… we'll find the next one and you'll be okay… I won't let anything happen to you…"

Zidane could sense that she was starting to cry.

"Don't cry Dagger…" He said as he looked into her eyes and wiped her tears. "I'm here for you… right here…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"The last plant, I'm afraid you may not be able to get…" Doctor Tot explained.

"… So we did all this for nothing?" Amarant said.

"Why?" Eiko and Vivi asked at the same time.

"It is called the 'Phytaphillia shrub' and there's only one left in the world."

"Where do we find it?" Zidane asked walking back from the bedroom.

"It has already been taken. A noble in Treno wants to sell it. Look at this ad…"

Doctor Tot held up a sign.

For Sale:

A rare plant… the Phytaphillia shrub

Last one on all of Gaia!!

100,000,000,000,000 Gil

See Lord Fatrarda

"His name has fat in it!" Eiko giggled.

"!! 1 trillion Gil!?" Zidane said in astonishment. "He's never gonna sell that!"

"Apparently the richest Noble in Treno is actually planning on buying it…"

"How are we gonna get it?" Zidane asked.

"We only need one leaf off the shrub… but I doubt the Noble would let us have even one leaf without paying highly to him…"

"I have an idea… Guys, let's go to Madain Sari! Then we'll head to Treno!" Eiko said.

"What did you have in mind, Eiko?" Vivi asked.

"You'll see… Ehehehe…"

"We'll leave tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn!" Steiner said.

Zidane went back to Dagger's room to see her. Dagger was still sitting up in her bed, awaiting his return. She smiled and began to raise her arms.

"Dagger… we're leaving again tomorrow…" Zidane said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"But don't worry… Eiko has an idea and I'll think we're gonna be back really soon… maybe even tomorrow night if we leave first thing tomorrow morning!"

Zidane could see Dagger's face light up immediately and the hope in her eyes.

"Zidane…" Dagger managed to say.

"You shouldn't speak, Dagger. Save it for when you're all better… I'll wanna hear our song!"

Dagger wanted to say something, but she just couldn't. And he could tell it was something important. But he didn't want to strain her voice.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That night Zidane couldn't get to sleep. He just couldn't stand listening to Dagger's stressful breathing. It was so heavy and uneven, is made Zidane worry so much.

"Dagger? Are you okay?" He finally had to say. He just wanted to make sure if she was asleep or not.

Dagger didn't say anything. She continued her hard breathing. Zidane leant over her body so he could see her face.

"She's asleep…"

He moved the hair from her face and watched her for a while, thinking how unfair it was for Dagger to be cursed with this horrible fate. What did she ever do to deserve this?

Eventually, Zidane went to sleep, dreaming of happier times…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Atla to Mogryo

Queen Garnet is still sick, Kupo…

I wonder if she'll get better?

The rebuilding of Burmecia is going quite well.

All the Burmecians are working hard, and some Cleyrans are helping too.

Kupo, do you know what it's like to be in love…?


	12. The Final Ingredient

Chapter Twelve: The Final Ingredient

In the morning Eiko was once again, the first to wake up. And she woke everyone up.

Except for Zidane, who was actually up before Eiko, but stayed in bed.

When he finally decided to wake up, he got up and got dressed, and left Dagger be. She needed her sleep.

He walked down the stairs where everyone was just awoken by Eiko. Most of them were rubbing the sleep from their eyes or yawning.

"Zidane, there you are! You're lucky I didn't have to wake you!"

"You wouldn't have anyway…" Zidane said sleepily. "… Knowing Dagger was still sleeping…"

"Well, I would've called you!" Eiko said as an excuse.

"We must get a leaf from that plant at any cost!" Steiner said as he clonked around in his armour, rounding everyone up. "Come, to Madain Sari! For Eiko has a plan!"

Soon they were on their way to Madain Sari. When they got there Eiko collected Moco, Mocha, Chimomo, Momatose and Morrison and they then left for Treno.

When they got there they left for the Noble's home. Doctor Tot said he owned a new store that went up. It sold synthesized items.

"Okay, guys… here's the plan!" Eiko whispered outside the new shop. "The moogles and I will go around the back. The plant will be somewhere inside. You guys hold that greedy noble's attention. When I have the leaf, Chimomo will go through the front door, and that'll be your cue to leave."

"So we just distract the guy until you find it?" Zidane asked.

"Yeah. Try and get all the staff members by asking them lots of questions!" Eiko exclaimed. "Okay… let's go!"

Eiko and the moogle went round the back of the store. There was the private entrance, and it was locked, but Momatose broke the lock and they snuck inside.

While they were sneaking in, the other 8 went inside the store.

"Welcome to the synthesize shop! I'm Lord Fatrarda! How may I help you all tonight?" He said in a cheerful, yet sleazy kind of way.

"Oh, we're just looking around." Zidane said, and started looking at the signs. "Um… so, you synthesize all sorts of things here?"

"We sure do!"

"Do you synthesize polystyrene?"

"Excuse me?"

"Polystyrene. Do you use it to synthesize?" Zidane asked, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Uh… no…"

"It says here you synthesize everything from hammers to frying pans. You can't honestly say that you could synthesize anything, can you now?"

"N-no, but we do synthesize most things…"

"Then why'd you say that on the sign? People don't buy from liars."

"Are you the inspector or something?"

"And what if I am?"

"Uh…"

"Excuse me!" Vivi said, running up to the counter. "What do you need to make a vest that can protect you from magic and raise your evasion, defence and attack? Oh, and absorb flare?" Vivi asked, very quickly.

"Uh… I'm afraid you'd need more items than that…"

"Can you make something like that, though?"

"N-no…"

"It says on your sign "We make vest for all your needs!" If you can't make a vest that will protect me from these things, I'm afraid that your sign is lying!"

"Well…"

"Is that sword in the window for sale?" Steiner came up and asked.

"Y-Yes…"

"Is it a rare sword that protects from fire and raises special defence?"

"No, it's a sword that can cut through almost anything, a-and…"

"Not good enough! And can you honestly say that the sword can cut through almost anything, even in the worst of conditions? I don't think that thing could cut through wood!"

"Sir…"

"You make big forks?" Quina asked.

"Well we can make forks…"

"I need new fork! Is good for eating monsters! You sell me sword!"

"W-well sir, I mean ma'am, I mean…"

"Do you make armour that could absorb fire, flare and doomsday and raised special attack and magic, oh and comes with an add-on?" Beatrix asked.

"P-please, one at a time!"

"Do you make spears that protect against everything?" Frately asked.

"And that absorbs Ultima!" Freya added.

"Do you seel claws that raise magic evade and powers up trow attacks?" Amarant asked.

"Sir, do you sell staffs that have the doomsday ability, as well as absorb flare and raised everything?" Vivi asked.

"Sir, what does that sword in the window actually accomplish?" Steiner asked.

"I-I just, please let me just, everyone please, I mean, ONCE AT A TIME PLEASE!!!!!" Lord Fatrarda screamed.

Meanwhile Eiko and the moogles were at the back, sneaking around and looking for the plant.

"Kupo! K-Kupo! Eiko! Over here!" Moco whispered.

Eiko went over to Moco. "What did you find?"

"Kupo, the plant is up on that shelf!" Moco said, pointing up to the shelf above them. Problem was, reaching all the way up there would result in everyone in front of the counter to see them. And if anyone looked, the shopkeeper would be sure to turn around.

"Guys, get on top of each other! We're not tall enough to reach it otherwise!" Eiko whispered.

"Kupo! Yes ma'am!" Mocha said. All the moogles got up on top of Eiko, wobbling a lot.

"So, you're claiming that the things on your signs aren't true?" Zidane questioned further.

"I-It's called advertising!" The Lord said.

As he did, Zidane noticed a small moogle, stacked on another, stacked on another. They were wobbling all over the place, reaching for the plant on the shelf right behind the shopkeeper. The others noticed too.

"What are you looking at?" The shopkeeper asked.

"Uh, nothing! I was just wondering, uh, if-"

"No! No more questions!"

"But your sign says-"

"Don't listen to the signs! It's just to get customers!! Now, are you going to buy anything!?" He yelled, losing his temper.

When Zidane noticed that the top moogle had snapped off a leaf from the plant and went out of sight, he said "Well, I was also wondering if that plant there is for sale."

"Oh," He said, looking behind him at the plant. "That is for sale, but the richest noble in Treno has already planned on buying it. It's worth a trillion Gil, you know."

"Really? Doesn't that seem a bit much?"

"Not at all, this is a rare plant, the only one left on Gaia! And the buyer intends to multiply them!"

Just then a moogle entered the shop. "Kupo!" It said, and left.

"… Well, we better be going! Thanks for the help, Lord Fatrarda." Zidane said. He and the others left, leaving the shopkeeper very puzzled indeed.

"Yes!!! We got it!!!" Eiko cried.

"We can sae Dagger now!" Vivi exclaimed.

"C'mon, let's get back! Dagger needs us!" Zidane said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Mogryo to Mogmatt

Queen Garnet is getting worse… what if she dies?

Kupo, the Black Mages are going well, ever since they found out how they could produce more black mages.

Kupo, I wonder if Garnet will be alright?

I'm sure Zidane will look after her, but how will he cure her? Kupo…


	13. It's not too late!

Chapter Thirteen: It's Not Too Late!

The airship finally arrived back in Alexandria. To everyone's surprise, Doctor Tot was waiting for them. He looked distressed.

He rushed up to the other who just came out.

"Zidane! Quick! Did you get the leaf?" Doctor Tot said frantically.

"Yeah, here it is…" Zidane said, giving him the leaf. "What's wrong?"

"It's Garnet. She's… she's…"

"What!?"

"I think she might be at the peak of stage 4… and stage 4 is the final stage…"

Everyone froze. Then immediately, Zidane ran off, into the castle. Doctor Tot followed him; he had to get that potion done before it was too late.

"Dagger!" Zidane yelled as he ran through the door of his bedroom. And there, right there, was one the worst sights he'd ever seen.

Dagger was lying flat on her back, on her bed, struggling to breathe. She could hardly move, she looked on pain, and was panicking. Zidane couldn't bare to see her suffering so much.

Zidane slowly walked over to Dagger and knelt down next to the bed. "Dagger…"

Dagger didn't look at him, as much as she wanted to. But she was concentrating on breathing at the moment.

"Don't worry… it'll be alright…" Zidane whispered, rubbing her forehead with his hand, moving the hair from her face.

"We got the final ingredient… you're going to be okay…" He whispered once more, and nudged his face against hers, fighting his tears. He grabbed her hand with his free hand and continued to rubbing her forehead gently, calming her down.

Dagger shut her eyes and whimpering sounds could be heard from her. She was losing the fight.

"Don't give up, Dagger…" Zidane managed to say through the out coming tears. "You'll be fine… just a little longer… please… hang in there…" he reduced his speaking to an even lower whisper, almost not even able to be heard.

Doctor Tot came in, followed by the others. They were all shocked to see Dagger like this…

"Doctor Tot, have you finished the potion?" Zidane said as soon as Doctor Tot walked up.

"I've finished it… I hope this will work… We'll need Garnet to sit up, though…"

"She can hardly breathe at this point!" Zidane said, panicky in his voice.

"If we give it to her while she's lying down, she could choke on it." Doctor Tot explained.

Zidane sighed. "Dagger, we're gonna lift you up, okay? Just concentrate on your breathing…" He whispered gently, stroking her hair. He places his hands behind her back and slowly lifted her up, careful not to disturb her breathing too much. She opened her eyes but shut them tight again. She was scared.

"Garnet, please try to drink all of it…" Doctor Tot said. He handed Zidane the bottle of potion, which he held up near Dagger's face.

"Come on, Dagger… it's not too late! Open your eyes and try to drink this…" Zidane said calmly. Dagger opened her eyes and let Zidane hold the bottle up while she drank it. Slowly but surely, after a few short breaks to breathe, she drank it all.

"Will she get better now?" Eiko said quietly.

"If we got it into her system soon enough, she should be able to move again in a few hours." Doctor Tot sighed.

Already everyone could see the colour coming back to Dagger's cheeks. She shut her eyes more gently this time.

"I think we should let Garnet rest…" Doctor Tot said. He began to walk out of the room. Soon everyone followed, except for Zidane.

"Hear that, Dagger? You're gonna be all better!" Zidane whispered cheerfully. Dagger leaned against Zidane as he sat up on the bed next to her. "You'll be fine… I promised you would…" Zidane said, pulling Dagger's head gently to his chest and stroking her hair. She managed to slowly wrap her arms around his body and whimpered a bit. Dagger stayed there for sometime, feeling Zidane's heart beating against her head. He didn't know it, but she was smiling. Very widely.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Soon Dagger had fallen asleep and Zidane left her in peace. Everyone else was tired too, so they went to the guest room to sleep. Zidane decided to go to bed too.

He entered his room where Dagger was now sleeping. As he walked closer to the bed, he noticed something. He walked up to Dagger and put his head against her chest.

Breathing. Quiet, steady breathing.

Zidane smiled and moved the hair from her face, thinking to himself how lucky it was that she was okay now. He went to his side of the bed and went under the blankets, getting himself comfortable.

He thought that Dagger must've been awake, because after a few minutes she turned around, he eyes still shut, and slowly wrapped her arms around Zidane. Zidane opened his eyes and watched as she made herself comfortable in his grasp. He wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled deeper into his arms.

After a bit of moving around, Dagger finally fell into a deep sleep. Zidane smiled to himself and kissed her forehead, thankful she was still alive and well. He soon fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From Mogmatt to Mogliana

Kupo, Queen Garnet is recovering!

Mosh and Kupo said that her potion was given to her and she will soon be all better!

Kupo, Mogliana works at Mognet, right?

Is Artemicion really quitting??


	14. A full recovery

Kindle My Heart

Chapter Fourteen: A Full Recovery

Early in the morning Zidane woke up with a start. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He turned around was shocked to find that Dagger wasn't there!

"Where is she?" Zidane said aloud. He got up and put some warmer clothes on, as it was cold and overcast.

He looked around the castle. Everyone else was still sleeping, and none of the guards had seen her.

He went to look outside. He walked through the gardens of Alexandria castle but couldn't find her.

Along the end of the garden, Zidane heard something very familiar…

"….!!" Zidane looked around quickly. "Dagger…? That's her song!!" He ran to the centre of the garden and went up the stairs to where the resting place was.

Sure enough, there was Dagger, standing by her mothers' grave, and singing quietly to herself. Zidane walked closer, but she didn't seem to notice he was there.

"I was wondering where you were, Dagger." Zidane said.

The singing stopped and Dagger turned around to the loving eyes that looked back at him. "Zidane!"

"You can move around now?"

"Yes… the potion worked almost straight away." Dagger said. She looked down at her feet and sighed.

"Is something wrong?"

"No… nothing is wrong… it's just…" Dagger started.

"I'm so lucky to be alive. If everyone hadn't helped, I might be resting here right now… but what if it was contagious? What if the plants you got were the last ones? If someone else got sick…"

"Dagger, if it were contagious, I'd be sick right now." Zidane pointed out.

"I'm so lucky to have friends who would risk their lives just for me…"

"And why wouldn't they? They all care about you. Even Amarant, apparently."

There was a slight pause, and then Dagger said "I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble…"

"Trouble?" Zidane questioned, moving closer. "It wasn't your fault you became sick! You couldn't help it. And besides, it was no trouble at all."

"How can you say it wasn't any trouble when you had to go to great lengths to find all the plants?"

"None of us got hurt. It just took time, that's all."

"But…"

"Zidane's right!" Said Steiner, walking up the stairs and joining in the conversation. "Your majesty, you know we'd all do anything to protect you. And we also know you'd do anything to protect us."

"It's true!" Eiko said running up. "If you knew our lives were in danger, you'd come to our rescue!"

"That's right!" Zidane added. "You came to my rescue in Pandemonium."

"You just gotta remember, Dagger, that what goes around comes around. We help you as you would help us." Eiko mentioned.

"Dagger…" Vivi said running up. "You've taught me another lesson in life. I must stay strong even when in doubt, and when I have friends to help me, I'll always be okay. You should know that too."

"That's spot on." Freya said, joining in. "We only did what you would do for us, Dagger."

"We help because you our friend!" Quina added, also running up. "You help us because we your friends too! We always be there for you."

"You mean a lot to the people around you." Amarant said, walking up. "The important thing is that you're okay now. Nothing else matters."

"You see, Dagger? You don't need to feel guilty. We just helped you, as you would help us." Zidane said, closing the statement.

"Everyone… Thank you…" Dagger said, getting slight teary eyes.

"I didn't know I meant that much to you all…"

"Well we do… just as much as what you mean to us." Zidane exclaimed.

Dagger smiled and looked around at all her friends; the ones who helped her stay alive. "I owe you all with my life… how can I ever repay you?"

"You don't owe us anything, Dagger…" Zidane said gently. "Just having you here with us is more than enough…"

Daggers' eyes started getting even tearier. Tears of joy. "Thank you…" She managed to say. Everyone smiled, thankful she was still alive.

Later on, everyone had to go back home. When everyone had gone, Quina went back to the kitchen and Steiner and Beatrix went on patrol. Dagger was overwhelmed by what just happened, and was in her room, sitting in one of the chairs around the little table.

Before Zidane went up to see Dagger, Steiner was talking to him.

"Zidane, remember in Pandemonium I said I had still not concluded whether or not you were the right man for Garnet?" He asked.

"Yeah…"

"I've made up my mind. You're the perfect man for her. And you'll make a great king someday."

Zidane smiled. "Thanks, Steiner. That means a lot to me…"

Zidane walked in after she was left alone for a while. "Are you okay, Dagger?"

"I'm fine, but I still can't believe everyone cares about me so much."

"Why wouldn't they?" Zidane asked her, hugging her from behind.

"It's so good to move again…" Dagger said, grabbing Zidane's arms and shutting her eyes.

"I'll bet it is. Hey, Dagger…"

"Yes?"

"Can I hear your song now?"

Dagger giggled to herself and said "It's not my song, Zidane. It's our song."

"Can I hear it?"

Dagger nodded and began to sing, still being held in Zidane's grasp.

When the song ended, Zidane moved his hand up to her face and they kissed each other, something they hadn't done in a while. The kiss seemed to last forever, although when it did break, they just went back for another one…

"Dagger… your song kindles my heart…" Zidane whispered as he nudged his face against hers.

From Mogliana to Kupo

This is Mogliana from Mognet Central. Kupo, I have good news! Artemicion is not quitting after all. I guess when we got that order of super strong superslick in, he stopped worrying about it.

Kupo, is queen Garnet really fully recovered? That was amazing! The potion must be strong, Kupo.

Stiltzken is coming home from his journey. Kupo, I'll be he'll tell you all about his adventures!

THE END!!

----

I hope you liked it! I loved this story when I first wrote it, but now I'm not so sure.. lol, I hope you guys liked it!!

"Kupo, Kupkup, Kupopo…

Po… Kupo!? KUPOPO!!!

chomp chomp Kupooo."

=Moguta=


End file.
